Slender, The Arrival
by woodmr13
Summary: Some things are best left forgotten. Some things should never have been revealed. But sometimes they have a mind of their own, and they don't want to stay lost. They prey on those unfortunate enough to cross their paths. They hunger for us. Their Keeper hungers for us. We are all caught in his web, and the web consumes us all. This is the sequel to Slender, The Eight Pages.
1. Then and Now

It's been five years. Five years since the events at the park, since Kate lost it, since everything started falling apart. It didn't happen right away, it took a while. Kate had been paranoid to begin with, but her mother dying back in 2009, only one year after the park, had made things worse. Kate was convinced that she had been haunted by paranormal entities, and still was to this day. The doctors tried to help her, and it had worked a little, but not nearly enough.

It had only been two years since Kate had moved to Oakside, Washington. The same rural town that Carl lived in. She had wanted to escape her past, to start over, or so she'd said. Kate had bought a house that was further out from the city, hidden in the woods. Lauren knew this because she and Carl had helped Kate move. The house also happened to be located close to Oakside Park, the city campground. There was even a trail behind the house leading to it. Kate had never said why she'd bought a house so secluded, but they'd guessed that she wanted to be left alone. She hadn't been the same since the incident.

The house itself was very nice. It was two stories, with a built in garage. It had two normal bedrooms and one master bedroom, three bathrooms, a dining room, two living rooms, a decent kitchen, and other features. It also had a swingset in the front yard and a wooden playset in the back yard. The yard was decent sized and was surrounded by a brick wall, except for the driveway, which by the way was extremely long. The backyard had a wooden gate built into the wall that opened up to the path that led to Oakside Park. They'd gone to the park when they had some time to relax. It was a nice place, run by nice people.

The town of Oakside had its fair share of ghost stories, the most famous one being the story of the Matheson farm. Carl had been there once before, and he had barely made it out alive. The things he'd seen there haunted him constantly, making him and Kate even more alike. They would never talk to Lauren about what had happened to them and what they were dealing with, always saying that they didn't want her getting involved, that it was better for her. Lauren didn't believe them, she wanted to help her friends get through this. She thought that their experiences had just been hallucinations. She was wrong.

When Kate had called her two years later and asked Lauren to help her move, Lauren had been shocked. She'd barely spent any time in that house at all. Why would she want to move already? Kate wouldn't say, and Lauren reluctantly agreed to help her move, but it would take a while to get there, since Lauren still lived in Michigan. Kate had mentioned that Carl had agreed to help her move and that they would start in a few days, since it took over a full day of driving to get there.

It was a really nice drive. Lauren had always wanted to go on a road trip. She found herself stopping at a few tourist attractions along the way. She'd packed plenty of clothes, food, and other things that she'd need. She had also packed a camcorder because Kate had specifically asked her to record everything from the time Lauren got to her driveway to the time she began her trip home. Lauren had agreed, because Kate was extremely paranoid, constantly recording herself and looking over her shoulder. She hoped that seeing nothing on the tape would help Kate relax.

Lauren had to stop at a hotel along the way. She drove all day, stopping for the night, and getting right back on the road the next day. It was tiring to drive for so long, but she could handle it. Unfortunately, Lauren had slept well into the day, and by the time she had reached the outskirts of Oakside, it was nighttime. Lauren's visibility was bad enough as it was, but there was also a huge storm going on, reducing her visibility dangerously.

She had no choice but to pull over on the side of the road and stop for the night. It was a dirt road, and there was hardly ever any traffic here, based on her experience from the last time she was here. She locked her doors, but kept her car running to stay warm. She then climbed into the back of her car, covered up with some blankets, and fell asleep, listening to the rain hitting her car and the occasional boom of thunder, completely unaware of the events that would take place the next day.


	2. Ponder

**(X)**

So Often Are We Guided By Our Devotion, Our Love, Our Affection

A Bond That Pulls Us Down Paths Not Bargained

And When You Find Yourself Alone As HE Casts Out That Bedeviling Gale

**How Far Will It Carry You?**

**(X)**


	3. Prologue

The storm had passed, the sun was shining, and Lauren was feeling fully rested. She was sick of eating food from her cooler though, and wanted to stop at a restaurant for breakfast. That took up at least an hour of her day, and it didn't help that she had slept in late again. It was 2:00pm by the time she got back on the road, and she still had another five hours to go.

By the time Lauren got to Kate's driveway, it was nearly 7:30pm and the sun was low in the sky. She was exhausted from the long drive and couldn't wait to get inside. The dirt road was empty of cars, and Lauren could see the familiar white fence to the right, enclosing Kate's property. She finally reached the driveway and noticed a couple things. The first was the large "for sale" sign by the driveway. The second was the fallen tree blocking the driveway. Annoyed at this, Lauren managed to pull her car into the driveway so it wasn't in the middle of the road.

Lauren POV:

I put my car in park and took out my cell phone, intending to call Kate about the tree in the middle of the driveway. I called her house since she wouldn't carry a cell phone anymore, always insisting that "they" were listening. Unfortunately, all I got was a dial tone. Figures. The reception was terrible out here. Sighing to myself, I took the keys out of the ignition and exited the car. The chilly autumn air hit me fast, reminding me of my jacket in the back seat. I got my white jacket out of the car and put it on, warming me up slightly. I was ready to shut the door when I remembered the camera. I grabbed it before shutting and locking my car.

Kate had wanted me to record everything from the time I reached this place to the time I'd left, so I intended to do so just to help her see that there was nothing to fear. Once I was sure that that the camera was on and recording, I walked around the fallen tree and began down the driveway. The autumn breeze felt nice now that I had a coat on. The grass and leaves from the trees swayed gently in the wind, creating a calming environment. There were a lot of deciduous trees here, but Washington was called the evergreen state for a reason, and it lived up to it with the fact that there was an evergreen forest near the property, and it was one of many.

I kept walking down the dirt path, looking at and recording my surroundings as I walked. I could see hay bales on the other side of the fence to the right, as well as old telephone poles both on the property and off of it. I could also see the glowing red light of a radio tower far off in the distance. Interestingly enough, the fence to the left started out normal like the one to the right, but once it reached some rather large boulders, the owners had used those to their advantage, but since there were only so many boulders there, they had to continue the fence on the other side, and for some reason had decided to use bricks and make a large wall instead of using the simple wooden fence from before.

I kept walking, enjoying the nice day and taking in all of the sights. There was at least one advantage to living in a place so isolated, and that was the beautiful scenery. I noticed that the sun was beginning to set, and knowing that it would get colder when it did, I began to jog down the driveway instead of walk. Eventually, I got to where the brick fence ran into the boulders once again. But this time there was something odd in the driveway, and that was a car parked off to the side of it. I recognized this car, it was Carl's. It was good to know that he had made it here safely, but why did he park his car all the way out here?

The car had been parked for a while, and it was easy to tell based on how cold it was when I touched it. The engine had clearly been shut off for a day or two, and the doors were locked. But other than that there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. Shrugging it off as Carl making poor decisions, I kept on walking. Eventually the boulders stopped for good, but instead of being replaced with a brick or wooden fence, this one appeared to be made out of cobblestone, and by the looks of it, it was pretty old. Shrugging it off once again, I continued walking, and I could see the familiar brick wall in the distance, and the top of Kate's house peeking over it.

The sun had set at this point, but luckily for me it wasn't too dark, so the camera could still make out the terrain. That was partially thanks to the moon, illuminating the landscape just enough to make things visible. I was at the brick wall now, and to the left of me the cobblestone fence ended, and a wooden gate was in place between the wall and the fence. Another trail led through the gate, past an old well, and off somewhere unimportant that wasn't part of Kate's property. Way over to the right of the brick wall was another trail, but the fact that there were fallen trees blocking it struck me as odd, but since they weren't very big I suspected that the storm from the previous night had blown them over.

I knew something was wrong when I saw that Kate's door was wide open. It was the middle of autumn, meaning that the nights were cold. Why would she have left the door wide open? If that wasn't weird enough, the garage door was open too. I slowly walked towards the house, wondering what was going on. I heard a metallic creaking and looked over to my left, but was relieved to see that it was just the swings moving in the wind. Despite the circumstances, I couldn't help but smile at the memory of Kate and I playing on her swingset when we were kids. I reached the door and opened it the rest of the way, entering the house, and shutting the door behind me.

Immediately the place set off a red flag. There were weird drawings on the wall by the staircase of trees and a man wearing a suit and tie. One of the shelves on the wall was broken and the pictures on the staircase were crooked, some were even knocked off of the wall. Kate's backpack was also set by the stairs, but that was the least of my worries. "Kate"? I called out. No answer. Now I was getting scared. I entered the dining room to my right and found a few chairs overturned, but that was the worst of it in that room.

I entered the kitchen from the dining room and quickly noticed just how dark the house was. I tried flipping the light switch, but nothing happened, which was weird because there were still some lights on in the house, meaning that the power wasn't out, at least not completely. I remembered Kate having spare flashlights somewhere in the kitchen, and it didn't take me long to find one on a charger, fully charged. I took it and turned it on, making it much easier for me to see what I was doing.

I took the hallway to my right and entered the garage. I quickly noticed that the only car in here was Kate's, making me wonder even more why Carl had decided to park out in the driveway. After finding nothing of interest, I shut the big garage door and went back inside, closing the normal door behind me. There was another room branching off from the hall. I'm not sure what it was meant to be and I'm not sure Kate knew either. It didn't have anything in it other than a rug, some cabinets, and a radio. There was also another door that led to a small bathroom.

The one peculiar thing in the room however, was an envelope. I decided to open it, and quickly discovered that it was a letter from Carl by the fact that it was signed; CR. It didn't seem to mention anything important, just something about hallucinations and a doctor. I discarded it and resumed my search of the house.

I noticed something in the kitchen that I hadn't before. There was a magnetic whiteboard stuck to the refrigerator, but it was what was written on it that was disturbing. It seemed to be some kind of checklist, telling Kate to obtain a flashlight, batteries, extra tapes, a lighter, and kerosene. It also had "lock the house" written on it and circled for extra emphasis. I understood the first three, but why would Kate need a lighter and kerosene?

Before exiting the kitchen, I also noticed a pamphlet for Kate's mom's funeral. I guess she kept it all these years to help her grieve. The whole situation was sad. Beth had been a great person. Remembering what was happening around me, I snapped out of my trance and began looking around again. I tried using the door to the backyard but it was locked, and could only be opened by a key. Then I noticed the phone. Unable to believe that I hadn't tried calling 911 yet, I tried to dial their number, but the phone line appeared to be dead. I tried my cell phone too, but there was no reception out here in this isolated place.

The next room I entered was a small living room with two couches, a table, and a piano that had belonged to Kate's mother. Nothing odd in here other than some overturned lamps. The room after that had a couch, a chair, a bookshelf, a coffee table, and a TV, as well as more overturned furniture. Something of interest was a "thank you note" on the coffee table from Kate, which I assumed was for me for helping her sell this place.

That was it for the downstairs. The rooms had made a loop right back to the staircase. There was another letter there that I hadn't noticed before though, but it didn't have anything important written on it, just some stuff about Kate's mom and back when they were kids. After that was dealt with, I decided to check the upstairs. I suddenly felt nervous as I began the ascent. Maybe I was afraid of what I'd find up there.

I immediately went to Kate's room. I found it odd that she was living alone but refused to sleep in the master bedroom instead of using the one at the end of the hall. The majority of the upstairs was dark, the only light coming from downstairs by the staircase. I was feeling really good about finding that flashlight now.

When I reached Kate's door I felt a cold breeze, and wondering what exactly was going on I attempted to open her door, but it was locked. Cursing under my breath, I went back down the hall, deciding to look in the master bedroom first. I found nothing in there other than what was normally there, and the same went for the bathroom that branched off from it.

Getting rather annoyed, I searched the remaining three rooms. I found nothing in the storage room or the bathroom, but I finally found the damn key in the spare bedroom. Wishing I'd searched there first, I walked back to Kate's bedroom, but paused for a moment. Did I really want to see what was behind this door? I knew that I had to do it for Kate, so I took a breath, and unlocked the door, dropping the key and turning the doorknob.

When the door swung open I was greeted with a disturbing sight. The room was dark except for a small lamp on Kate's desk, just barely illuminating the room. Kate's walls were covered in insane drawings. The papers they were drawn on blocked out nearly all of the wall, and appeared to be stapled to them. They had insane ramblings written on them, the most frequent one being "Can You See It", along with a drawing of the radio tower I had seen in the distance, as well as a drawing of the suited man, but this time he was crossed out for some reason. This phrase and drawing was written largely on the wall by Kate's desk in what appeared to be some kind of dark red marker. "My god", I whispered.

Then I noticed the window, or what was left of it. There was broken glass littering the floor and, wait, was that blood? Did Kate jump out of the window? I looked down in the yard and could see the glitter of more glass in the grass below the window. I also noticed that the gate was open. Shaking my head in disbelief, I looked back at Kate's desk and noticed something that I hadn't seen before. It was a sheet of white printer paper with a drawing of trees on it and the phrase "To The Woods". Just after reading it I heard a bloodcurdling scream.

I immediately whipped around and looked back out the window. The scream lasted about four or five seconds, and it sounded like Kate. It had sounded like it came from Oakside Park though. What was she doing way out there? That's when I realized that she was in serious trouble. Knowing full well that the authorities were unreachable at the moment, I took matters into my own hands and sprinted out of Kate's room, down the stairs, and out of the house. Slamming the door behind me.

I ran into the backyard and out of the gate, continuing down the path at a dead run. These roads weren't used much, and when they were it was mostly by Oakside Park staff. I kept running until I was out of breath and forced to stop. Breathing heavily, I felt the cold night air around me. I was thankful that I was wearing a jacket. Finally catching my breath, I decided to walk down the path. Eventually I came across a generator. I decided to see if it worked or not, and sure enough, it did.

The cables that the generator was connected to powered some tall construction spotlights that lit up the path. Thankful that I wouldn't have to waste battery power on my flashlight, I switched it off and continued down the now illuminated path. Something stopped me though, and that was a burned newspaper clipping resting on top of a construction spool. I decided to read it, and it said something about a fatal blaze erupting at a nearby house. It was dated back a few years ago, and had a picture of the burning house on it. After I finished it, I continued down the path.

The spotlights ended after a little while, so I had to turn my flashlight back on to see. The trail continued forward and over a hill. After getting over the hill, I was greeted with more spotlights, but not enough to bother turning my flashlight off. There was also some random construction material placed near the path, but something else caught my eye. Attached to a tree was a missing child poster. This particular kid was named Charlie Matheson Junior.

Matheson, I recognized that name. The Matheson farm was the place that caused Carl to start having those hallucinations. This kid must have been a part of that family. The farm had been there since 1800s, so this kid must have been from the most recent generation. Was it possible that this kid, Charlie, was linked to Carl and Kate's situation? Then I realized something else, the name of the guy who had died in the fire was Charles Matheson, presumably Charlie's father.

This information provided me with possible leads for where this all began, but I had more important matters to attend to. There was a stream running through the area, and a small wooden bridge crossing it. A fallen tree had taken out a good portion of the bridge, but it was still passable. Continuing onward, I felt a sudden chill. I paused for a moment and looked to my right, and noticed a tall, dark figure standing at the top of one of the hills. I squinted, trying to make out what it was. It had the shape of a man, but it was way too tall to actually be a person. I could make out the colors of white and black on it, and I could have sworn I'd seen a smudge of red.

Apparently my mind had been playing tricks on me because it disappeared shortly after viewing it. But what didn't occur to me was that my camera had actually recorded the figure standing there, and had distorted when it disappeared. I shrugged it off as my imagination and continued down the path, eventually coming across another generator. I turned it on and a little ways ahead of me some more spotlights flickered on and illuminated what appeared to be a storage yard. But just before I was about to investigate, I heard a noise that made me freeze. It almost sounded like a low moan, or a growl. I turned around and my flashlight illuminated a dark, ominous building.

It was the husk of a house. It had been badly burned, and the windows were blocked with rotting boards. The doors were somehow managing to cling on the the hinges despite how destroyed they were. The entire building was black now due to the fire, and even the second story windows were boarded up. Then it hit me. This was the house from that newspaper article. Then I heard the noise again. It almost sounded like, crying. I didn't know if it was Kate or not, but I had to find out. I took a deep breath, and forced myself to step into the house.

The inside was worse than the outside. Everything was burned. There was no drywall left or anything, just burned, decaying boards. Everything had been turned black from the heat, and soot and ashes covered the floor, forming little hills and piles in the corners. I heard the crying again. I slowly began walking towards the source, failing to notice that my camera's video was being tinted blue. I walked through the maze of boards and ashes until I finally came upon it. The most horrifying thing I've ever seen.

It looked like a corpse, except corpses don't cry. The skeletal figure stood in a corner, shuddering, twitching. It's skin was a sickening combination of blue and pale. The creature was so skinny and its skin was stretched so tight that the creature might as well have been a skeleton. I had no idea how it could even stand. It wore nothing but what appeared to be a tattered loincloth, or perhaps the shreds of pants. It had dried blood all over it, and its mangy, black hair was rather long. It might have been human, once. It looked like it might have been a teenager. It stood in the corner, making weird noises. Noises that sounded like sobs and growls, all while it stood there shaking and twitching.

I stood there in terror, watching the creature. It didn't seem to notice me, and I wanted to keep it that way. But then something changed inside of me. I realized that this creature was in pain, it was suffering. I guess my maternal instincts kicked in because I found myself slowly approaching the creature. "Hey, are you okay"? I whispered. It didn't hear me, or perhaps it ignored me. I reached out to it and touched its shoulder, trying to comfort it. That was a bad move.

The creature let out an unholy screech and whipped around. My vision was overcome with a sickening shade of blue as well as incoherent shapes and a silhouette splashing across my sight, the same happened with my camera. I felt something strike me and then footsteps running away. Then my vision and the camera was normal again, and I was left alone in the house. I immediately got up and ran out of that house as fast as I could, nearly tripping over a framed picture of a farm in the process. I ran outside into the cool night air, towards the storage yard.

I hid behind some crates and tried to calm myself down. I was beyond terrified now. I don't know what that thing was, or what had happened in that house, but I was never going back there. After finally calming down, I realized that I was bleeding. The scratches on my shoulder weren't very deep, and were easily clotted, but that didn't make them hurt any less. After that was tended to, and after making sure that thing wasn't waiting around a corner to kill me, I cautiously stepped out from behind the crates, and seeing that I was alone, began jogging towards the park once more, not looking back at that house.

I finally reached the staff entrance after a little while of jogging. The building was separated into two parts, with a movable fence blocking a dirt trail going through the middle, which I assumed was for cars. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked, making entering the building much easier. There wasn't much to see in the building, just some crates and tables. I reached the second half of the building without any difficulties.

Once there, I noticed something sitting on a desk towards the back of the room. I approached it, and discovered that it was Kate's journal, opened and filled with insane ramblings, and it looked badly burned. This confirmed my suspicions that Kate was here. Taking a breath to steady myself, I opened the door to my right. Stepping into the cool, night air of Oakside Park.


	4. Eight More Pages

I could hear the sound of waves calmly rolling in from the lake and hitting the shore. Stepping onto the sand of the beach and shutting the door behind me, I took in my surroundings. The rather large cove stretched a while to the left, with the right side being blocked off by boulders and trees. The dirt trail that went under the building's gate was covered with sand, but now I knew what it was for. It was for launching boats, evidenced by the fact that it led to a dock.

The air was chilly, but refreshing. The moon illuminated the landscape and I could see a light fog rolling in over the lake. I could see more of the pine forest on the horizon, overlooking the peaceful body of water. The building I had entered the park from appeared to have been built into a wall of more boulders. It seemed people around here enjoyed taking advantage of the terrain. I walked along the beach, enjoying the peaceful night but still worrying about Kate.

Not far ahead was a small building made of wood, also built next to the boulders. It didn't look like much more than a shack, and its windows were boarded up. There were however, three canoes rested up against the shack, as well as a sign on the side of the building saying that there were only three available for rental. Then it hit me. I'd been here before with Kate and Carl when we'd taken a walk through this place. I didn't remember the layout of this area of the park too well, but I did remember that it hadn't been used for a long time due to strange disappearances.

I remembered Carl telling us about this place. The majority of Oakside park had never had any issues, but this particular area of the park had a bad reputation, and a dark past. I don't remember the exact date that it started, but people started going missing, the majority of them being children. Search parties were sent to find them. They never did, at least most of them. The gruesome remains of a few victims were found, and the park was shut down for an investigation.

No one ever figured out what had happened. They had theories though. At first they had thought that an undernourished bear was roaming the area, but after several unsuccessful attempts at finding it, and no evidence that there even was a bear in the area, they ruled out that theory. The authorities were baffled, and the park was re-opened. Eventually they realized that it wasn't the park itself that was the problem, but it was this particular area of the park.

This was the only area that people would mysteriously go missing, so the park management closed off this section, not allowing anyone to go in. As a result, the disappearances stopped. Oakside Park Management got most of their property out of the place before something started picking off the workers, resulting in management just abandoning the place and everything left in it. Campers and visitors were forbidden from entering this area of the park, and eventually it became somewhat of a ghost story. Carl had taken us here during the day to help Kate's paranoia, and it had worked since nothing had happened while we were here. There was one thing that bugged me though, and that was how easily I had gotten into this place when it was supposed to be off limits.

Thinking heavily about the situation, I continued to walk across the beach. Eventually I came across a chainlink fence standing between the wall of boulders and a few large rocks near the water. It struck me as dumb, since someone could easily just go around the rocks if they wanted to get in bad enough. Noticing that the gate was open, I walked through it, into the true landscape of Oakside Park. Being so caught up in my thoughts, I failed to notice the gate quietly shutting and locking behind me.

The wall of boulders had ended, and instead went back in the direction I had come from, acting as a fence for the park, with the ruins of a wooden fence branching off from it. I was still on the beach, but now I could see the woods and trails of the park just beside it. Taking in my surroundings, I saw three trails leading into the woods, reminding me of an intersection. While I was trying to decide which one to try first, I noticed something odd.

Over to the right side of the beach, there was a crooked tree with a busted canoe propped up against it. It might seem normal for wrecked property to be in an abandoned place, but the canoe hadn't been here before. It wasn't just wrecked either, it had burn marks on it and signs of water damage. Then I noticed something hanging from a low branch on the tree. It was a sheet of notebook paper with the word **"Follows"** written vertically on it. It also had a drawing of a pine tree and a suited man.

After studying it for a minute or two I realized something. I'd seen this type of drawing before. It was one of Kate's. I had to be sure, so I looked even more carefully. Sure enough, it was Kate's handwriting. Although it was scribbled and frantic, it matched perfectly with the rest of her drawings. I now had the confirmation I needed that Kate was here. Determined to find her, I decided to take the note for future reference. But as soon as I did, I began to regret it.

The drumbeats began almost immediately, eerily repeating endlessly. It sent a chill down my spine. I knew I wasn't hearing things because the camera was picking it up too. I didn't know what was causing it, but I knew that I was too exposed standing on this beach, and whatever was making that noise probably wasn't friendly. Making a quick decision, I chose the path leading to the right and up a hill. As I began walking towards it, I felt the chilling sensation of being watched.

It felt nice being off of that beach. The trees surrounding the dirt trail gave me a sense of security, knowing that it would be hard for something to sneak up on me due to the heavy foliage, and the fact that they blocked most of the wind helped too. The constant drumbeats were unnerving and certainly unnatural. Quickening my pace, I saw a building at the top of the hill. It looked like some kind of visitor centre but it was in pretty bad shape.

I got a better look when I reached the top of the hill. The empty husk of a once inviting building ominously loomed over me. The large windows of the building had all been shattered, and the only remaining evidence of a door was warped hinges and an empty frame. I noticed a crooked sign above the door that read; "Oakside Park Information Centre". The beam from my flashlight shone through the broken windows and illuminated the interior. It was in bad shape. The remaining furniture was overturned and broken, and there were rotting boards in random places.

Trying my best to ignore the relentless drumbeats, I entered the information centre. Immediately the foul smell of mildew hit my nose. Clearly this place had been in disarray for a while. The only major structure in this portion of the building was a large desk which most likely was where employees had been stationed. I looked around, hoping to find something beneficial to my situation, maybe even something to defend myself with.

There was nothing useful in the room, unless you count rotting furniture. Luckily there were more rooms to explore because I really didn't want to go back out in the open. I decided to take the hallway to the right, and by doing so found even more rooms. All three were located on the right side of the hallway, but they didn't contain much more than rotting furniture and boards. However, I did find something beneficial. One of the rooms contained frames of metal bars. Most of them were rusted, but one in particular had a portion of it that was still in a decent condition. I broke it off near the rusted part, and clutched my new weapon in the same hand holding my flashlight.

The hallway led to another entrance, but there was nothing important in it other than busted windows. I decided to turn back to double check the building, but in the process noticed something that I had missed. On the side of the hallway opposite the three rooms there was another door that led to a large bathroom. Immediately upon entering I noticed another sheet of notebook paper wedged between two boards. It was another one of Kate's, with the word **"No"** scribbled all over it and the drawing of the suited man again.

After taking the note, I realized just how thirsty I was. Despite how stupid it seemed, I tried turning on one of the sinks. To my surprise, and joy, a steady trickle of water began flowing out of the faucet. I let it run for a minute to clear out any harmful materials that had accumulated over the years before drinking from it.

Wiping my mouth, I turned the faucet off and looked into the mirror. But then I froze. There was something behind me, some sort of figure shrouded in darkness. It looked human, and male, as I could make out its masculine form as well as long hair, but the entire thing appeared to be a silhouette. It also appeared to be wearing glasses, and the lenses seemed to be glowing. He must have seen my expression of terror because a sinister, glowing smile manifested on his face.

This jolted me into action, and I turned around quickly, swinging the metal bar towards the creature. But there was nothing, and my attack only succeeded in putting a hole in the wall. I was breathing heavily, unsure of what had just happened. Realizing that this building was no longer safe, I ran out of the original entrance, not daring to look behind my back. But as I did, I heard a sadistic cackle ring out from behind me.

The creature hadn't followed me. At least I hoped so. I couldn't believe what I had just experienced. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself. I almost didn't believe it, but I had felt that chill when it had been behind me, I had heard its insane laughter. But what unnerved me the most was that it hadn't even tried to hurt me. It was just content standing there and watching me. Observing.

I knew what this meant. This "Observer" wasn't the real threat here. Otherwise he would have harmed me. That smile, that laughter, it told me that he was just here to enjoy the show. I hadn't stopped running. I'd gone back past the beach and run onto the opposite trail. I wanted to just leave this place, but I couldn't. Kate needed my help. My legs were beginning to get tired from running all this way. My pace slowed to a walk as I ascended the hill.

I could see a light at the top of the hill. How it was still running was beyond me, but any light in the endless darkness was welcome. The source appeared to be some kind of old, rickety observation tower made of wood. It was still standing somehow, but I was more intrigued by the light at the top of it. But before I could do anything I remembered the notes.

Sure enough, there was another one of Kate's drawings attached to one of the support beams of the tower. This one was slightly more unnerving, as it simply read; **"Can't Run"**. As soon as I took the note something changed. The drumbeats from before had stopped. The only noise was the wind lightly rustling the trees. Unfortunately, just as I was beginning to calm down, an even more disturbing noise began.

I don't know how to describe it, other than a lowly drone, repeating endlessly just like the drumbeats had. Fearing for my safety, I was just about to take off, but then I noticed something disturbing. Something scratched into the wood of the tower. The words; "HAVING FUN, LAUREN?", accompanied by a strange symbol. Two eyes intersecting.

That was it, my breaking point. Not even bothering to think I immediately turned away from the tower, planning on running far away from it. But just as I began to run I was immediately greeted with a tall figure looming over me. My camera emitted a noise like thunder as well as other high pitched frequencies. The video began tearing and distorting, with random colors splashing across the screen. My flashlight began flickering as well. I gazed up at my attacker, and was horrified at what I saw.

The man was dressed for a funeral, wearing a suit, dress pants, and shoes as black as the night. It also wore a white undershirt, and had a crimson tie tucked into the suit. I knew that the creature wasn't human just from its height. It towered over me. It had to be at least nine or ten feet tall, and its unnaturally long arms nearly came down to its knees. Its skin was clammy and deathly pale, and its hands had long, skeletal fingers. But those horrifying features were accompanied by something even worse. The face of the creature. Except there was no face. No hair, no eyes, no ears. No facial features of any kind.

I knew immediately that this creature wasn't here to make friends. Maybe this was what The Observer was waiting for. Once again, my first instinct was to defend myself. I swung the metal bar at the creature. At first I was glad that it didn't try to move, but not once I figured out that it didn't need to. The bar harmlessly bounced off of the creature, stinging my hand in the process. I dropped the bar and clutched my hand in pain, all while still recording.

It was then that I realized what a mistake I had just made. Multiple slim, black tentacles erupted from its back and began aggressively writhing towards me. I began to feel lightheaded, and I could feel blood trickling from my nose. I tore my eyes away from the demon and took off down the path, hellbent on getting as far away from that thing as possible.

The further away from that creature I ran, the more bearable the ringing in my ears and the dizziness got. The blood had stopped pouring out of my nose, but in it's place was a terrible migraine. I kept running down the path, not daring to look back, knowing that that demon was behind me somewhere. To my delight, I discovered some cover up ahead. Directly ahead was a large, roofed storage yard with park property and crates for some corporation called Kullman Mining. Branching off to the left was a small path that led to a tent, with what appeared to be an active fire pit next to it.

Curious about the tent, I decided to look there first. But as soon as I got there I could tell that something was wrong. The tent flaps were open and blowing in the wind. The fire next to it was blazing bright, a comfortable warmth emanating from it. But that only meant that someone else had been here, and that might not be a good thing. I knew what I had to do. Hesitantly, I entered the tent.

Much to my surprise, I found the inside of the tent to be in a relatively good condition. The only items worth noting in the tent were empty sleeping bags. Was it possible that Kate, Carl, or both had been here? Wait, there was something else. A slightly burned note. It only read one simple thing. **"Do as Kate once did. Find all eight. It is the only way you will escape this place alive. Good luck, Lauren. ~F"**.

I remembered now. Kate wouldn't tell me much about what had happened to her, Carl was the same. But I had picked up a few things from their conversations. Something about a farm, needing to find eight pages, an organization called The Collective, a man with pindot eyes and a toothy smile, and one repeating subject between the two of them. The tall, faceless man. The one with many names. The Operator, The Administrator, The Keeper. The most common one being a simple phrase. The Slenderman.

I finally understood. Kate and Carl hadn't been hallucinating this whole time. There hadn't been a "shared traumatic experience", as the doctors had put it. They had been right the whole time. The Slenderman had hunted them like dogs, and his Collective had done their part in tormenting my friends. I felt a rage burning deep within me. I had a new goal to add to finding Kate, and that was to put an end to these monsters. I didn't know how, but I was going to. I had to.

I knew that the note from this "F" character wasn't one of the pages I was looking for, but something told me that whoever it was was risking everything to relay this information to me. I decided to do them a favor and burn the note, erasing any evidence that might trace back to them. Coincidentally, as soon as I dropped the note into the fire, the fire quickly burned out, leaving the ashes of the note and glowing embers behind. It was almost too coincidental, and I couldn't help but wonder if the fire was created by "F" as both a beacon, and a way to destroy the evidence. But now I was on my own again, with the endless darkness all around me.

The storage yard wasn't too hard to traverse. The fourth page wasn't hard to find either. It had been attached to some boards rested against a few crates. This one simply read; **"Help Me"**. Nothing majorly changed after taking it other than the fact that I would constantly see the Slenderman from the corner of my eye. Always just standing there, watching me, waiting for me to slip up. I had no choice but to look away whenever I saw him. Looking at him for too long gave me a headache, and my camera would glitch out whenever he was around. I continued down the trails, heading towards the next page.

That was my goal now. I knew I had to find all eight, and so far I had half. Things were looking better every minute. The lowly drone from before was still going strong, but I managed to ignore it for the most part. There had been an odd crevice in the ground that resembled a small valley near the storage yard, and its sides were made up of boulders. But knowing that I could easily get cornered in there, I decided to avoid it. It also would have been a waste of time since it didn't really lead anywhere but a different trail, possibly one that I had already been on.

However, I was still slightly curious about where the crevice led to, but luckily it was just a random formation, so I could just walk near it. Following the crevice actually led me to a completely different area of the park. Thankful that I had trusted my instincts, I continued on. Eventually I came across another landmark, but this time it was different than the others, as this one was just another storage yard. The only difference between this one and the previous storage yard was that it was larger, had only Kullman property, and wasn't roofed

Unfortunately for me, there was one major difference. There were no pages to be found. Imagine trying to search for a sheet of paper in the middle of a huge storage yard filled to the brim with miscellaneous supplies. Yeah, not fun. Even less fun when you spend a half hour searching every possible inch and coming up empty handed. I was annoyed by this, so annoyed that I failed to realize my mistake. I had let my guard down, and by doing so, the enemy had snuck up on me.

I carelessly turned around, only to be terrified by the sight of the Slenderman standing less than five feet from me, resulting in my camera producing a sound like thunder and distorting horribly. I could feel the horrible headache coming on. I ran just as his tentacles began snaking towards me.

The branches slapped my face as I ran through the tundra. I had no option but to run directly into the woods when I was ambushed. Fortunately, it happened to be in the direction that I wanted to go. After the abuse via tree branches, I finally arrived back on my main path, and right in front of another landmark. This one was simply a blue and white outhouse set just off the path, next to the woods. Shining my flashlight on it revealed yet another page. This one was simple, as it only had drawings of trees on it, as well as the Slenderman. Taking the fifth page triggered the next stage of this twisted game.

The lowly drone was gone, and was replaced with something slightly less disturbing. A heavy wind swept through the forest, chilling me to the bone, and making the trees creak and crack. But there was something about it that wasn't right, something unnatural. If the Slenderman could do things like alter the weather, as well as what I've already witnessed, what else was he capable of? The disturbing possibilities overwhelmed my mind with fear, causing me to begin running down the path once again.

I was freezing. My jacket was useless against the unnatural, frigid air. It was torturing me, toying with my mind. I could see my breath in the cold. I shivered uncontrollably, my shaky breaths very much audible. I had to keep moving just to stay warm. This was all a part of his game. He wanted me to be weakened. I wasn't going to let it happen.

The path went up another hill and led to an abandoned jeep. This disturbed me due to the fact that it was still running. I could hear the hum of the engine and the headlights were on. I didn't know who it belonged to, I didn't care at this point. All I cared about was the page that read; **"Leave Me Alone"**, attached to the driver's window. I took it without hesitation. That was six, only two left. I noticed the Slenderman watching me out of the corner of my eye. I hated running like this, but I had no choice. I took off down the path again, hoping that it would be over soon.

Something new came to my attention. I had been on the park trails for most of my time here, but now I was being presented with something different. A large field with grass and weeds almost as tall as I was. Just as the trail came to the field I noticed a roofed, wooden structure near the woods. It was a map of the park, but more importantly it had the seventh page attached to it. This one was a bit more chilling, as it read; **"Always Watches, No Eyes"**. It also had a large circle drawn at the center of it with exes that I assumed were supposed to be replacing eyes. Taking the note triggered the final phase.

The chilling wind picked up, and unlike the previous two ambiances, rather than being replaced, the new one just joined in with it. I have no explanation for it. It the wind wasn't chilling enough, this noise certainly completed the feeling. It could only be described as some kind of demented audio distortion, playing on and endless, eerie loop.

At that exact moment, the Slenderman appeared in front of me once again. Just as I was about to take off, I noticed a water tower on top of the hill in the middle of the field. I knew that I needed to check it. Cursing to myself, I prepared to make my move. Ignoring the horrible migraine, I sprinted towards the Slenderman, dodging to the side at the last minute to avoid his awaiting grasp, and ran as fast as I could towards the water tower.

My lungs were burning from the combination of cold air and physical activity. It seemed that all of the running had finally caught up to me. I wasn't about to quit though. I could see the last page, but I could also hear the sound of tentacles slithering towards me. Running even faster, I got closer and closer to my objective. My vision was going blurry, the tentacles were right behind me, my camera was acting up again, and the only thing I could hear was the disturbing ambiance and a horrible shrieking noise was ringing in my ears.

It was over. I clutched the eighth page in my hand, hardly caring about the ominous message; **"Don't Look Or It Takes You"**, written on it. The Slenderman was nowhere to be found. All of the noises had stopped, the night air was slowly returning to its normal temperature, and I could hear the sound of crickets chirping again. I was doubled over on the ground, heaving and gasping for breath. I could feel tears of joy and relief running down my face. I had won.

I regained my composure slowly, and after realizing that I was still in a dangerous place, I stood back up and began walking back through the field, hoping to find a way out. Then it happened. The chill suddenly returned, and I felt a cold, bony hand grasp my shoulder. That was when I lost it. I bolted through the field like a madman. I could barely see because of the migraine, barely hear over the horrible screeching, all I cared about was getting away from this monster. Then the teleportation started. One minute I was in the field, the next I was at a storage yard. It didn't stop there. It happened multiple times before finally stopping and leaving me at the opposite side of where I had entered the field.

The trail went up another hill but I didn't care at all. I just kept running. All I could make out was what was directly in front of me, and I could see a sea of tentacles all around, waiting to ensnare me. Then I noticed a low boulder at the top of the hill next to another abandoned car. Without thinking, I climbed on top of the car and jumped onto the boulder. It was my only chance. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the twenty foot drop on the other side of the boulder before it was too late.

When I hit the ground my legs gave out, leaving me to face-plant directly into the dirt. My camera shut off from the impact as well as my flashlight, leaving me not only immobilized, but mostly blind as well. I could feel tears running down my face. After everything I had been through, I was just going to die anyway. But then something unexpected happened.

The silhouette of a man appeared in my line of vision and approached me. At first I thought it was the Observer, but I quickly realized that he was something else. The glowing pindot eyes were a dead giveaway. He knelt beside me and just looked at me for a minute.

I almost considered asking him to make my death quick and painless. But then I noticed a toothy, glowing grin manifest on his face. This was different than the Observer's smile. This one felt warm and caring. He made a "shushing" motion and reached out to me. I noticed a glowing eye on the palm of his hand just before he touched my forehead. When he did, I felt drowsy, and my world quickly faded to black as I entered a deep sleep.


	5. Into The Abyss

A light wind and birds chirping was the first thing I heard. The air was warm and I could feel tall grass surrounding me. I opened my eyes, being momentarily forced to squint against the bright sunlight. My vision cleared, letting me take in my surroundings. I was still in the field from the previous night and it was 11:00am according to my cell phone, which was nearly dead and still had no reception.

I sat up and looked around, getting a better view of the area. The field I was in stretched far and wide and was mostly surrounded by a natural wall of stone. The top of the stone wall led to a sprawling landscape covered in trees. I quickly realized that the landscape above was where I had jumped from the previous night.

To my left was nothing but more grass and the wall of boulders. The field was dotted with trees, mostly pine and spruce but also a couple of other types like oak. There were also some large stone landforms that blocked my view for the most part. Up ahead and to the right of the landform in front of me was a building that appeared to be on stilts.

I was glad to be alive, but I had no idea why I hadn't just been killed in my sleep. Then I looked behind me and things began to make sense. Just a few feet from where I had been laying was a small, makeshift fire pit containing smouldering embers and ashes. My best guess was that the man that had come to my rescue had lit the fire to keep me warm. Then I noticed a plastic shopping bag in the grass.

It contained a couple of different items. A bottle of water, a couple granola bars, and a note that read; "Thought You Could Use This" ~F. Something finally clicked and I realized that this "F" character was the man that had saved me the previous night. I didn't fully trust this guy, but he had saved me and had tried to help Kate. That had to count for something.

Cautiously, I began to eat, quickly losing my fear and finishing off the granola bars. I remembered overhearing Kate mention this guy's name at one point, but I couldn't remember what it was. Just as I was finishing the water, the name finally popped into my mind. Firebrand.

It was good to know that I had some supernatural help. It made my odds of survival much higher. I knew that I would suffer just as Kate, Carl, and the Slenderman's countless other victims had. I could accept that, but at least now I had a fighting chance. I found it best to avoid those gloomy thoughts. I also remembered hearing two other names. Two that I now realize are allied with Firebrand. Mr. Scars and HABIT. I didn't know who they were, but I suspected that I'd find out soon enough.

I had momentarily panicked when I realized that I didn't have my camera or flashlight with me, but relaxed when I saw them placed neatly by the fire pit, undoubtedly by Firebrand. I also noticed that I no longer had the pages with me. It didn't take long to figure out where they went, evidenced by the ashes in the fire pit. Why had Firebrand burned them though? Kindling maybe? I didn't know, and I found it best to not worry about something so insignificant. I was slightly annoyed though. I'd gone through Hell and back to get those damn things.

I returned to worrying about my main task, finding Kate. I burned the leftover trash and Firebrand's note for the same reason as the night before, then retrieved my belongings. The camera and flashlight both worked fine, but both had lost battery. The camera's screen just showed an icon indicating that I had roughly half left and the flashlight was beginning to dim. I sighed in frustration and began walking towards the building on stilts.

When I got around the first landform I was greeted with yet another one, but I didn't really care considering it hardly affected me. The building was small and made mostly out of sheet metal, and the stilts weren't much more than boards. It wasn't in very good shape either. The door and windows were boarded up and the building itself was rusted and corroded. I also noticed a couple of old metal barrels laying around.

Then I noticed the dirt road in front of the building. It stretched around yet another large, stone landform. I couldn't tell where the path to my right was going because of the landform and the trees, even after climbing the stairs on the building. The path to my left led to a large chain link gate and went far beyond it. Knowing that there was no way Kate was in that building, I decided to take a look at the gate.

Getting around the boulder revealed that this part of the road was simply a different branch of the main one. The main road cut through the middle of the field and led to my right. There was also a small shack near the road in the other half of the field. When I looked further down the road I was awestruck at the sight presented to me. An enormous mine was built into the side of one of the huge mountains. A large service yard had also been built around the outside of the facility. Wait, was this the Kullman Mine?

It would make sense, seeing how close it was to Oakside Park, which held those storage yards for the company. A quick glance to my left told me that I wouldn't be getting through that gate. It was locked up tight and had barbed wire covering the top. I knew that I would eventually have to go into the mine, but decided to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.

I decided to check the shack just to be safe. Sure enough, the door was boarded up. Although this time the windows were still intact, they were far too old and grimy to see through. Kate hadn't been in there either. Swallowing my fear, I headed toward the mine, taking note of the bright red light of the radio tower far off in the distance, peering out over the top of the mountain. I remembered Kate's drawings. She seemed to be heading there, possibly with Carl.

I wondered if there was a way through the mine, and whether or not my friends had taken that route. I noticed that the cement flooring of the service area was in a bad shape for the most part. The service yard was pretty small, as all it consisted of was the cracked flooring, some pipes and barrels to the left surrounded on the outside by a chain link fence, some crates scattered around the area, and what looked like storage lockers to the right.

I noticed a nameplate near the top of the mine that read; "Kullman Mining Company, 2253". This confirmed my suspicions that this was in fact the Kullman Mine, that and the fact that a bunch of the crates had the name plastered on them as well. The number "2253" was mostly likely the address of the mine. I finally came up to the massive entrance and observed that it was pitch black inside, save a small amount of sunlight that managed to get in.

I switched my flashlight on and entered the mine, walking around various barrels and crates scattered around the hall. The entire thing was made of concrete, except for the cement floor, and appeared to be holding up well, especially since it was abandoned. The ceiling of the hall was arched, which might have had something to do with it. The hall was a dead end, but just as I was about to leave I noticed a door to my right.

It led to an elongated room with a chain link fence cutting off half of it for storage. There was something attached to the fence though. It was a small metal sign that mentioned something about an emergency lift that needed to be powered by a minimum of six generators in order to work. It was to be used in the case of a sudden power outage. I was relieved that there actually was a way out of this place and hoped that Kate and Carl had made their way out of here using it, if they'd been here.

There was also some kind of control console placed near the left wall of the room, but it was inactive, and looked like it had been that way for a long time. There was a door to the left just after the console. I opened it and walked inside, viewing the area ahead. In my amazement, I failed to notice the door closing behind me and only heard a faint click as it locked. I was trapped. With no other options, I trekked on into the darkness of the Kullman Mine.

The short hall that I had walked into led to the massive area that was the true mine. The ceiling was so far above that my flashlight's beam struggled to illuminate it. There were multiple doors and pathways, as well as yet another chain link fence, but they were all closed and the fence was on wheels. There was also a metal catwalk high above the ground, a plentiful amount of crates, barrels, and other equipment, and the elevator shaft was in plain sight, and much larger than I would have expected.

It really wasn't much more than a lift with a frame of steel beams around it, making it easily accessible from most sides, even though the only true entrance was on the right. Something in front of the shaft caught my eye. It was a yellow generator emitting a faint red glow. How this generator still had power was beyond me, but remembering the sign from the control room, I decided to switch it on.

While approaching the generator I noticed a bunch of arrows drawn on the floor in chalk that my flashlight illuminated. They were pointing towards the lift, and after shining my flashlight towards it I saw more arrows drawn on the wall at the back of the lift, but now they were pointing up. Kate had been here. Possibly Carl as well. I didn't know what had happened to them, but clearly they had thought that the lift was their best bet.

More determined than ever, I finally reached the generator. The red glow was coming from a circular light panel on the face of it, and the switch to activate it was on the top of the machine. I switched the generator on and the light shifted from a dim red to a bright green. A series of metallic clanking and various other noises ensued as the mine sprang to life, with gates and doors opening as well as lights turning on. The lights were dim and it was still dark, some places being darker than others, but light enough for me to see the layout of the room.

I heard a slight "ding" and noticed a small console on the lift light up. Upon closer inspection I saw that it had multiple switches and dials, but one large, orange button stood out. This was the button that would raise the lift, and I decided that the others were best left alone. Hoping for the best I hit the button, but sure enough nothing happened. This confirmed my fears. I would have to search the mine to find the other generators. I noticed a small glass panel on the console that had six small light bulbs within it. One was glowing green, the rest were red. One down, five to go.

I received even more confirmation that Kate had been here by looking around the room some more. Three of her crazed writings were written on the walls in chalk, writings such as; "Get To The Tower", "Need To Get Out", and multiple writings of the word "No". While pondering this, I realized that all of the noise from the generator would alert anything in here of my presence. Thinking of my experience from the previous night, I became fearful and ducked into a hallway to my left.

The only thing the hallway contained was lockers and lights, until it turned to the right. Yet another fence was set up against the right wall, but this one was open, and inside was the second generator. This was easier than I thought it would be. I quickly switched it on and kept moving, trying my best to ignore the resulting noises. The first exit from the hall that I came across just led back to the foyer, but the hall also continued on, and so did I.

Eventually it led to a large storage room filled with shelves and crates, as well as some stairs leading to the second floor of the mine. Knowing full well that something could easily sneak up on me in that maze of equipment, I took the stairs to get a better view of the area.

The second floor wasn't nearly as large as the rest of the room. All it consisted of was a balcony overlooking the storage area, two small rooms, and another hallway leading further into the mine. Looking for the familiar red glow of an inactive generator yielded no results in the storage area, but I could see the red light shining through the doorway of one of the two rooms near the balcony.

I smiled to myself as I activated the generator. That was half of them, this was much easier than I had expected. But just as that thought went through my mind I heard an animalistic screech ring out from deep within the mine. It was a horrible noise that sent a chill down my spine. More screeches began ringing out, along with the loud sound of shoes against concrete. I wasn't alone, and the noises were getting closer.

Then a terrible thought went through my mind. What if this was the same thing from that burned house, the corpse-like creature that had attacked me? This thought terrified me. The Slenderman was one thing, but that creature was a whole different threat. It wasn't patient like the Slenderman, this thing was hungry for blood, and it was coming. Seeing no other option I ran back down the stairs and into the first hall to the right, hoping that the creature would be attracted to the generator, and that it wouldn't be smart enough to turn it off.

The ghastly screeches and growls were getting closer and closer. I turned a corner to try to put some distance from that monster and myself, but I was cut off by the sight of something sprinting towards me. This wasn't the monster from the house either, it was something entirely different.

It was definitely human, even though those noises said otherwise, and based on its figure it appeared to be female. She wore blue jeans, black tennis shoes, and a white hoodie, with the hood pulled over her head. Her clothes were plastered with dried blood and soot, as well as her hands. Her face was hidden by some kind of white, plastic mask that was nearly obscured from view by her long, matted, black hair.

The creature began screaming louder when it spotted me and began running even faster, her footsteps echoing throughout the mine. I finally snapped back to my senses and tried to run, but it was too late. The feral woman pounced, and tackled me to the ground. My camera flew out of my hands as well as my flashlight, but the flashlight's beam angled itself just right to illuminate her masked face as she pinned me down.

Her screeching and growling filled my ears as she beat on me and clawed at my face. I was powerless to do anything about it, but thanks to the flashlight, I got a better look at her. Her skin was deathly pale, and I noticed that she was wearing a red shirt under the hoodie. The mask appeared to be slightly melted and burned in places, and there was a fair amount of soot on it, but there was a larger amount around the eyes and the rectangular hole near the mouth.

I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but insanity, but in a way, they almost looked sad. Then, for some inexplicable reason, she stood up and bolted away from me, running away deeper into the mine. She had done some damage to me, giving me a bloody nose and a black eye, as well as various other injuries. My own blood was splattered all over my face and the ground, staining my dark brown hair red.

I spit out the blood in my mouth and retrieved my equipment, running in the opposite direction that the woman had gone. I didn't know who she really was and I didn't want to. Whoever she had been before was gone, and all that was left was the insane shell of who she had once been. All that was left was The Chaser.

The screams and footsteps of the Chaser echoed throughout the mine, seemingly everywhere, unable to trace. Not being able to tell where it was coming from was extremely unnerving, but after some quick thinking I had come up with a way to defend myself. The Chaser had clearly been in here for a while, so her eyes were likely sensitive to light. My flashlight's normal beam didn't affect her, but I was also able to focus the beam, making it smaller, but much brighter.

As I was running through the halls of the mine a terrible thought went through my mind. What if that blood on the Chaser was Kate's or Carl's? "No, there's no way. It can't be", I thought to myself, desperately trying to push the horrible thought out of my mind. In the process of running through halls and checking rooms I reached the original foyer once again.

The path had led to the hall behind the chain link fence that I'd seen when first entering the foyer. The hall was cramped due to the large amount of crates and equipment within. Suddenly I heard something chilling. Absolute silence, except for the hum of the nearby generator in the foyer. I knew that the Chaser was still searching for me, but now she was doing it silently. I had no way of knowing where she was, and that worried me.

After navigating through the crates I came across two more halls. One to my left and one to my right, both going straight and leading to the same general area. I chose the right hall, as there were multiple side rooms in it, unlike the left hall, which had none. My choice didn't seem to matter whatsoever though, because none of the rooms had a damn generator.

The hall led to a large room filled with boxes, crates, pipes, and a couple of (what appeared to be) small industrial fans. A little ways to the left was the staircase that the other hall led to. An inactive generator was placed near the left wall, along with some boxes and other equipment. Just as I was about to turn it on I noticed another red glow far to the right.

It was coming from a room in the third (and last) large hall that led to the foyer, the one that had been to my right upon entering. I decided to turn that one on first, so I only had one direction to go afterwards instead of two. Listening intently for the Chaser, I made my way into the hall. There was a variety of equipment, including a small forklift, a few lockers, and multiple side rooms, but only one had a red glow coming from within. The room it was in turned out to be a restroom. Strange place for a generator, but I didn't care. I switched it on and returned to the other generator, activating it. That was five, only one more and I was free.

Just as I was about to ascend the stairs, I heard a noise behind me. Knowing full well that it was the Chaser, I turned around, prepared to test my flashlight theory. But I hadn't been prepared for what was actually behind me. Yes, the Chaser was there, but she was in a crouched position as if ready to pounce, and she wasn't alone. The Slenderman himself loomed over her, with a skeletal hand placed on her shoulder.

It all made sense now. I had overheard Kate say something about this type of thing before. The Slenderman was capable of taking people and forcing them to do his will. Sometimes driving them insane, leaving nothing but a mindless, obedient servant. There was a term for it. Proxy.

The Chaser wasn't just some feral woman living in an abandoned mine, she was a victim of the Slenderman turned proxy. Just as this thought went through my head, the Slenderman released his grip on the Chaser and she sprang towards me, proving my theory. But I was ready for the Chaser. I focused my flashlight's beam on her face and she let out an earsplitting shriek, jumping back and covering her eyes. Just before I took off, I noticed that the Slenderman was watching me with his head tilted, as if interested in what I had done.

The stairs to the second floor led to another area resembling a large concrete balcony. There were steel pipes sticking out of the floor as well as more fans. The Chaser had recovered and was hot on my tail. I stopped regularly to stun her with my flashlight before continuing on. Taking the hall to the right led me to the sixth and final generator. It was located in a small alcove that was partially blocked by a fence.

I activated the generator and heard a faint "ding" come from the foyer. After quickly stunning the Chaser, I ran onto the catwalk and peered over at the lift. Sure enough, all of the red lights were now green and the orange button that raised the lift was blinking.

Thanks to my distraction, the Chaser was closing in on me. I needed to put some space between the two of us before trying to stun her again. I took off down the catwalk, making it halfway across before being interrupted. The Slenderman appeared in front of me with a thunderous sound, tentacles erupting from his back and writhing in the air. Before I could get over my shock I felt the Chaser attack me from behind. My camera and flashlight went flying out of my hands again, my camera landing at the Slenderman's feet. My flashlight wasn't so lucky, and went careening over the side of the catwalk.

Once again, I was powerless to stop the Chaser's assault. I felt myself slipping in and out of unconsciousness as she attacked, before she finally sprinted off into the direction we had come from. I forced my eyes open and realized that one good thing had come out of that attack. The Slenderman was gone. Looking over the side of the catwalk showed that my flashlight was somehow still working. Finally, some good news. The mine was dimly lit thanks to the generators, so I could see. But now my only defense against the Chaser was out of reach.

Still battered and dizzy from the Chaser's latest assault, I made my way to the end of the catwalk. It turned out that the path led back to the first storage room that I had come across. I made my way down the stairs, only to be met with an unpleasant surprise. The Chaser sprang out of hiding from within the storage area, taking me completely by surprise.

Her third assault finally broke me. After she was gone I simply crouched on the ground, coughing up blood, trying to stay conscious. I couldn't take anymore. I looked up and saw the Slenderman watching me. Time to go. I grabbed my camera and limped into the hallway, making my way to the foyer. Luckily, there were no unfortunate incidents this time, and I was able to retrieve my flashlight.

Just barely conscious, I finally got to the lift, slamming my hand on the orange button. It began to ascend, ever so slowly. After a few intense moments of listening to the rapid footsteps getting closer, the lift finally shot up, ascending at a rapid pace. A quick glance down brought a chilling sight. The Chaser was standing at the base of the lift, staring up at me. I had been so close to death and hadn't realized it. The frightening sight was cut off as the lift went higher and higher.

The lift finally reached the top of the elevator shaft, opening up to another hallway. The beating I had taken finally caught up to me as I stumbled off of the lift, collapsing onto the cold hard ground, and falling into a deep sleep.


	6. Fresh Air

I woke up to the dim lighting of the mine, and no idea how long I'd been unconscious. Groaning in pain, I managed to stand up and retrieve my camera and flashlight, turning them both back on and making my way down the hall. I began to hear the muffled sound of wind and birds chirping. Turning a corner, I was greeted with another long hallway, but this time with a bright light at the end.

Ignoring my injuries, I sprinted towards the light, ecstatic to be free from the horrors of the Kullman Mine. I finally reached the end of the hallway and stepped outside. Squinting in the bright sunlight, I observed that I was at the top of not just one mountain, but a vast mountain range filled with trees that stretched far into the distance.

I laid down in the grass, enjoying the warm sun and the fresh air, which smelled pleasantly of the forest. I don't know how long I lay there, but quite frankly I didn't care. After that fiasco in the mines I figured I'd earned a break. Remembering what I was here for, I forced myself back on track. There was really only one way I could go from there, and that was ahead.

It was peaceful here. No interruptions, no mystery, no nasty surprises. Only trees, grass, and stones. I nearly forgot what I was doing, and what had happened to me. The hills of the mountain range eventually stopped abruptly and went to the right, but this only provided me with a view I'd never forget.

The forest was far below, an endless expanse of trees stretching for miles, as far as the eye could see. The mountains in the distance towered over the vast landscape, illuminated by the bright sunlight. The bright blue sky was clear, with only a few clouds spread out across it. The birds chirped along with the other creatures of the woods, all while a pleasant breeze blew through the area, carrying with it the smells of the forest and the warmth of the sun. It was beautiful.

I stood there for at least ten minutes, awestruck at the beauty of nature before me, making sure to get it all on camera. This was one of those places that once you got there, you'd never want to leave. When I finally forced myself to continue down the path I made sure to stay near the amazing sight, staring at it in awe while continuing down the path.

Due to my amazement, I nearly missed something in the path, just barely catching it out of the corner of my eye. Rested up against a tall pine tree was an old, tattered teddy bear.

Clearly it had been here a while, judging by its condition. But why was a teddy bear, of all things, out here? Trying to figure out what the old toy was doing in such an isolated place, I reached out to touch it, hoping to find some kind of identification. But as soon as I made contact with it, a terrible migraine pulsated through my head.

I dropped my equipment and fell to my knees, clutching my head in pain. I could feel tears running down my face. It felt like my brain was crawling out of my skull. My vision was getting blurry and splotched with dark spots. Then I heard the whispers.

There were so many voices. All of them speaking in some haunting tongue that I couldn't understand. Perhaps they were speaking backwards. The whispers got louder as I felt the drowsiness taking over. Just before I lost consciousness for the third time that day, I noticed something on the teddy bear. A faded name inscribed across its torso.

Charlie.


End file.
